God will give us grace to you. Not only will he share his glory, but he'll give his grace. The reason you need a personal relationship with Jesus is because you're gonna go through some stuff you've never went through before. And you're going to go through some things you never thought you'd ever go through. God takes great pleasure in blessing His children.
Today you'll hear about three gifts in particular He longs to give you. Hello and welcome to Destined for Victory, where we feature the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepard.
Well, sometimes all of us can be misunderstood, some more than others, but all of us some. The good news is God understands us even when others may not. Coming up next, an encouraging reminder that God is ready and willing to share His glory, His grace, and His guidance with you, no matter who you are and no matter what you may be going through. Remember to come see us at pastorpaul.net to listen to Destined for Victory on Demand. That's pastorpaul.net.
You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Now, here's today's Destined for Victory message. He gets us. He gets us. That's why he came. Three quick things, and I'm done.
Number one, He gets you and he'll share his glory with you. He'll share his glory with you. Look at the fact that when the angel came to these common people, the angels brought some glory and let them experience glory for the first time. Let them experience the overwhelming presence of God for the first time. And God will do that in your life just when you need Him to show up because God is omnipresent, but omnipresence doesn't mean that's all He will do.
Sometimes God will come get right in your situation, right there on your job, right there in your home, right there in your crisis, right there in your most difficult moment. God will be there right in your sickness, right in your dilemma. God can show up and bring some glory, manifested presence. to help you through. And I'm here to tell you that He gets you, and He will share His glory.
with you. Don't pray little prayers, pray big prayers. Say, Lord, I need you to show up. I need you to be here. I'm going through something I've never been here before, and I need you to show up.
I love it. Back when I first got to California in the late 80s, one of the groups of people that I really came to immediately be exposed to and hang out with was the vineyard movement. And one of the things they did in their gatherings was they commonly taught people how to pray, come, Holy Spirit. And to let the Holy Spirit just come into a little setting, just a little group of people. And I would sit in some of the kinships and they would just say, Come, Holy Spirit, and just wait and see how He wanted to manifest His glory.
And words began to come forth, and people began to speak what God was saying, and all of that. And I learned in those days, especially here I was in California, and I had this vision. The Lord told me that He was going to answer the prayers I had been praying for years to be a soul winner and a discipler. And He had told me, I'm going to do that in California. And so you go, and thousands are going to be blessed by your ministry.
And that was the word I had. And here I am, got 34 people, and God's talking about thousands. And so I was showing up everywhere where people knew how to get the God to show up, and I'd be there with him because I need him to show up for me, too. I'd be there, and sure enough, I would see God moving in different settings. I would try to get big, big-name preachers to pray, just lay hands on me.
You already got big churches, and so if you got a meeting, I'm going to try to meet you and say, Would you pray for me? I'm a new pastor, and I'm just believing for great things. I'll never forget one of them. He wouldn't even look at me because he was looking around the important people. There was a big gathering, and there were important pastors.
And I'm just a little 30, 31-year-old dude, just hoping, just lay hands on me, just do something. And one God bless you, and he's looking for the big shots. Oh, but I kept on walking with God and kept on. Believe in God. And the day came when I'm about to speak in the stadium.
And I'm in the stadium events and all of that. And I'm one of the speakers. And I'm in the green room. And he walked in. He said, Oh, Posh!
Jepper! Because God has been faithful. Even when you wouldn't look at me, God saw me. He got me. And he saw me, and he knew what he had put on my heart.
And now you walk into my oh. Both. And I felt, brother Call me Novocaine, I am not feeling you. I am so not feeling you. But I was gracious.
I spoke with him. Hey, man, God bless you. All day, I didn't even rehearse what he had done back in the day. I said, don't keep short account so God can keep blessing you. But you know God will share His glory with us.
Number two, God will give us grace to you. Not only will he share his glory, but he'll give his grace. The reason you need a personal relationship with Jesus is because you're going to go through some stuff you've never went through before. And you're going to go through some things you never thought you'd ever go through. Anybody been there already?
If not, summer's coming. Just keep on living. My grandmother said, just keep on living. That's all you got to do. Just don't die and it's gonna happen.
And the fact of the matter is, there come these times in our lives where we need a grace. That is unique to the situation. I've never needed this kind of grace, so I never got it. You got to understand the grace of God, you can't go to Costco and get a grace pack. You can't get a big jumbo pack of grace.
That's not the way God's grace works. You know, people come out of Costco with all these big things. You can't go to Costco, you can't go to a big box store and get a bunch of grace. Oh, this grace is going to get me through the next three years. It doesn't work like that.
Grace comes for what you are going through, and there are some graces you have never had because you've never needed them. But as sure as you need that grace, The Lord told me to tell you that He's going to give it to you just when you need it. Stop trying to preview the grape. Stop trying to get God to give you a five-year advance on stuff. That's not the way the kingdom works.
When you need it, God will give it to you. And so you got to know that. Here I am. This is my first Christmas without being able to call my mother. I don't know what life without my mama is.
Every week, I'm saying I'm supposed to be talking. I talk to her at least once a week, sometimes twice, three times a week on the phone. Just she was crossing the country, but I just needed to hear her voice. I know I'm in my late 60s, but I need my mama. You just need to hear her voice.
How are you doing? What are you doing? Oh, and then she tells you what she's doing. Doesn't matter what it is. She just needs to know her son across the country is not just preaching all around the world and all that.
He's thinking about mama. And here I am coming up on this first one where I won't be able to pick up the phone Christmas Sunday morning and talk to her. She's where the glory is. But I need the grace because I'm here. And I'm saying, Lord, give me grace for this season.
And if you have the right relationship with the Lord, He will give you what you need. Y'all who sit up late at night talking about I can't make it another day, if you know Jesus, then you're gonna make it another day because He is gonna get you. Through another day. Jeremiah said in Lamentations, morning by morning, he will give you the mercy and the grace that you need. Mercy is when you don't get what you deserve to get, and grace is when you do get what you really don't deserve to get.
And he'll give them both to you.
So when you're up late at night, some of you have heard me say it for decades. I need to repeat it. When you're up late at night and you're a child of God and you know him, then you have the one who can give you grace. But if you're up late at night talking about I can't make it anymore, there's only one thing you need to do: go to sleep. Go to sleep.
That just means you ran out that day's grace. That's all. And I know sometimes I feel like you ran out that day's grace about 7:15, whatever. In the evening, if that's the case, what you need to do is go to the door and say, everybody in the house, My grace is done for the day. I'm closing this door.
I'm gonna be in this room by myself. Until I get a fresh batch of grace in the morning, don't y'all knock on this door. Don't you call me if you're sick? Call the doctor. If you're dead, call the undertaker.
I'm through for the day.
Some of y'all don't know how to tell people what they need to be told.
Some of y'all just let folk wear you out. My grace is done. Leave me alone. I'm trying to bless you. Leave me alone.
You don't want to run into me, and my grace is gone. That's not going to work really well. See, some of y'all need to need to be honest with yourself and admit. That when you run out of grace, you can act away. Come on, let's just say that.
You can act away. I know you say sanctified, filled with the Holy Ghost and all that. But you can act away. When your grace is gone, So let folk give them a heads up. I'm done now.
God bless y'all. Leave me alone. And go get the grace you need the next morning. Go to sleep. Don't be sitting up in the middle of night talking about, I came in, Lord, I can't make it.
Well, then go to sleep. Because the next morning he's got a fresh batch of grace. Don't go away. The rest of today's Destined for Victory message, featuring Pastor Paul Shepard, is coming right up. Jesus said that if we followed His teaching we would know the truth and the truth would set us free.
And that's why Destined for Victory is here, to teach timeless truth for a victorious life, by pointing people to Jesus Christ. You can help, stop by Pastor Paul dot net to make a safe and secure donation. That's Pastor Paul dot net, or call eight five five three three nine five five zero zero. In Psalm 23, King David said, The Lord is my shepherd. And in case you didn't know, he's your shepherd too.
Now, let's get you back to the rest of today's Destined for Victory message. He gets us. So he gets you. He'll share his glory with you. He'll give his grace to you.
Finally, he'll provide guidance for you. You know what? Not only did the angel come to. Shepherds to let the world know that God loves common people as well as the big special people. I believe the angel came to shepherds because that angel realized these people on earth are a lot like the Father in heaven.
Do you know he is the great shepherd? See, don't use titles like Commoner. Just 'cause you are a shepherd, you're a commoner? No, no. It's who you are, not what you do.
Because God is lots of things, but one of the things He takes pride in letting us know is that He is a shepherd. David said, the Lord is my shepherd. I got him as a shepherd. And I came to tell you, if you know Jesus, he is your shepherd too. That was a unique relationship with David.
He is your shepherd, too. And so Psalm 23 applies to all of us. The Lord is my shepherd. I won't have to want for anything because if I need something, my shepherd is going to see to it that my needs are supplied. He went on to say, He makes me lie down in green pastures.
Some of y'all need to put yourself in a position where the shepherd can teach you when and where to lie down. You got to realize you can't keep moving. There are times when you just got to chill. Yeah.
Some of y'all don't do a good job of chilling, but don't worry, you got a shepherd who's going to teach you how to chill. Jesus said, one of the things he said here while he was on earth: Come to me, all of you who are weary, heavy laden, you're tired, you're always up to something, always moving, always going, and not only physically, but psychologically, you're always doing stuff. Always thinking stuff.
Some of you, when you go to bed, your mind doesn't shut down. You're still thinking right up to the time you fall asleep. Always trying to run the world. And the shepherd wants to help you learn to just lay down in the green pastures. Then he'll lead you beside still waters.
And he wants to restore your soul. And he will lead you in paths of righteousness. For his name's sake. You who say, well, I've never really been interested in following the Lord because I'm not religious and I don't do all that stuff they say Christians got to do. He didn't ask you what you needed to do, he said, just let me shepherd you.
He'll lead you and lead you in paths of righteousness. He'll teach you what being righteous is in a way that you will understand, and he'll give you the grace. To live in. And so he leads us in passive righteousness and he restores our soul.
Now, here's the thing: we live in a day where folk love talking about all the quote-unquote positive things about God. He's my shepherd, and he's going to supply all my needs. He'll make me lie down in green pastures, he'll lead me beside still water, restore my soul, and he'll lead me in passive righteousness for his name's sake. Oh, that's positive.
Well, keep on reading. Yay! Though I walk. Through the vast Of the shadow. Oh the wait, wait, wait.
Wait, now you have me all in the water and then by the green pasture. We've been having a wonderful time. What up with this Walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Where did God go? He's still there guiding you?
He's still the shepherd.
Sometimes the shepherd knows there are things you will only learn. In the valley. There's some things he wants you to know, you can't learn them on the mountaintop. You can't learn them when everything's going well. You can't learn them when all life is.
Oh, what a beautiful morning. Oh, what a beautiful day. I have a wonderful feeling. Everything. going my way.
There's a bright holding golden haze on the meadow. You can't you can't learn some lessons there.
So he'll lead you. Down into a valley. Lord, I thought you loved me. He ain't saying nothing about it. I stopped loving you.
And that's why I'm taking you down here because I'm sick of you. That's not God. I love you and I'm leading you down here. And the proof that I love you is because I'm not telling you to go down there by yourself. Leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I don't have to. Wow, I'm down here. I ought to be scared. I ought to be petrified.
Do you know what's down here in this valley? But if David said, I learned that I didn't have to fear him. Any evil? Why? Because of who was with me?
When you got the right person with you, you don't have fear like you have. When you're by yourself. I grew up in Philly.
Some of y'all grew up in cities where there was parts of the city you didn't go in by yourself. If if you were I well, y'all haven't some of y'all haven't lived there, I see. Oh no, I can walk around my town anywhere I wanted to go. There were some places in this world. I need some of y'all who came from places where you didn't walk in certain neighborhoods by yourself.
It just didn't happen. You didn't ride your bike through there by yourself. You didn't take the bus, get off there by yourself. Didn't happen. You needed the right, not just somebody, you needed the right somebody with you.
I needed my cousin Stevie with me. I'm so glad God put us back in touch with each other a few years ago. I didn't know what had become of him for decades. I had no idea. And he, as it found, I found out that he heard me and saw me on the radio and TV and all this stuff.
And then he got in touch with us. He called Destiny looking for cousin Paul. And when I found out my cousin Stevie, I said, look at God. I've been wanting to know where he was, and we have an ongoing relationship to this day. He's in Missouri, but we are in regular contact.
I'm going to bring him out here one of these times, and I'm going to bring him to church and say, Stand up. I've been talking about you for decades. Let the folks see who you are. But you had to have him with you in certain neighborhoods. I was with him in New York.
His dad lived in New York. My dad had our family in Philly. His dad lived in New York. He and his brother, they were in New York. And I would go up to New York to see him.
One time I went up there to hang out with him. And we were out late one night getting some pizza or something. And somebody came up with a knife and wanted our money. And so I went for my pocket. Steven said, what you doing, man?
I said, he said he want our money. You talk about what I'm doing. I'm about to give him whatever I got. Steve said, put your money, get your hand. Stevie reached in his pocket.
He said, you really want to do this? That guy looked at him like he looked crazy. He put his knife back and walked away. I said thank you Jesus. Walking around something, New York, late at night, and don't have Stevie.
But David said, I don't have to fear evil because of who's with me. You got your rod and your staff with you. As my shepherd. And then you got to understand the best part of it. Not only will he guide you in general through the good places, but he'll guide you through the tough times.
Ride and staff, comfort me. And then it says, and he's actually prepared a table for you. You got to walk with him because, not only because of what you're going through, you need him to be with you and help you get through it, but because of where you're going to. You're going through the valley, but you're going to a prepared place. And I came to tell somebody: God told me early this morning He's taking you to a prepared place, and you got to get yourself ready to follow Him wherever He takes you, because sometimes you're not going to understand it, but just stick with Him.
And he's prepared a place for you. And here's the thing about God: He doesn't have to remove you from your enemies. Enemies still around. Have you ever noticed, how come I gotta eat with the enemies? Because God doesn't want you afraid of folks that He Is going to make sure can't get to you.
And he said, I prepared a table before you in the presence of your enemies. And notice they don't get to eat. They're there, but they don't get to eat. They got to watch you eat. They're watching you and they gotta pass you the roles.
I'm sorry, y'all don't eat carbs. Past you. Pass you the greens and the Kale. But he'll anoint your head with oil. Your cup will run over.
Surely goodness and mercy. will follow you. All the days of your life. And you will dwell in the house of the Lord, not only here for time. but for all eternity.
For all eternity. He gets you. He'll share his glory with you. He'll show up when you need him to show up. He'll give his grace to you.
And he will Guide you. through the good times and the bad. Abundant life in the here and now, eternal life in the hereafter. These are the things God longs to give you, and in Christ you are destined for victory. Thanks so much for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory.
Remember, any of our recent messages, including the one you heard just now, are available on demand at our website, pastorpaul.net. While you're there, be sure to check out our online store for some great resources to help you grow in your Christian faith, including books and DVD messages from Pastor Paul Shepard. That's pastorpaul.net. Well, it's a brand new month, and that means we have a brand new resource to share with you when you make a generous gift to Destined for Victory today. Introducing our booklet, Grown Up Faith.
If you long to move towards a greater level of spiritual maturity and a more intimate walk with Jesus, get yourself a copy of this booklet as soon as you can. You'll be challenged to embrace who you are in Christ and operate in who He designed you to be. Again, that's grown-up faith, yours today by request for your most generous donation to Destined for Victory. You can give by phone by calling 855-339-5500. 855-339-5500 or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online.
You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538. And do you need prayer today? If so, you're invited to use the contact feature at the top of our home page and share your request with us. Pastor Paul.net. Our ministry team is always happy to join you in prayer.
Again, go to pastorpaul.net. I came to talk to folk who are carrying a verse 11 promise around, but you're wondering why in the world. It hasn't come through yet. I thought God said he was going to give me hope in the future. I don't see either one of them.
The message is called What to Do in the Meantime, and it comes your way tomorrow. I hope you'll join us. Until then, remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
